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Saturday, February 4, 2017

Cover Reveal and ARC Review: Three Hearts by Grace R. Duncan

Cover Reveal

Three Hearts

By Grace R. Duncan

Cover by Jess Small

72k words

M/M Paranormal/shifters

Pre-order from Amazon

Release date: 3/3/2017

Blurb:

Liam Scott is sick. That’s not supposed to be possible. As a wolf shifter, he’s supposed to be able to heal. The omega gene he was born with means he’s capable of carrying shifter young and Liam is worried that whatever is wrong will mean his one-day hope of having pups will be dashed. But despite the fears keeping him away from the doctor until now, he knows he needs to go.It turns out the sickness is temporary, but the treatment causes a whole other problem.Mason’s alpha gene means he’s one of very few wolves who can impregnate an omega male. For two years, he’d been watching Liam, but things kept getting in the way. When Liam shows up in heat, Mason recognizes the opportunity he needs and doesn’t hesitate make to Liam his mate and the father of his pups.But Liam has old wounds and fears to work through which the pregnancy is only making worse, and Mason isn’t sure how to get past them to show he’s serious about making a life together as loving mates. It’s not until a female wolf decides Mason should be hers that Liam makes his biggest worry known—and Mason can finally put the fears to rest.

Excerpt:

Liam

With a sigh, I rolled over and peered at the clock. Even if I were to drag my tired ass out of bed right then, I’d never make it to work on time. But my boss, Jack, would be there, so I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and lay back. I pulled up my contacts and hit the button when I found my boss’s number. It barely rang twice before he picked it up.

“Yo, Liam!”

I couldn’t resist a chuckle at the greeting. “Hey, uh… I can’t come in today. I know I’ve called off a lot the last couple of months but—”

“Tell me it’s because you’re finally going to the doctor,” Jack said, hope clear in his voice. Jack wasn’t just my boss—he was also probably my closest friend. Yeah, working with friends was never a good idea. Except, for Jack and I, it worked. I never wanted upper management. I was happy where I was, doing what I did. So I was equally happy when Jack got promoted where he wanted to be.

“Yeah,” I said, letting out a breath. “I’m going to call when they open in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, I know, I know. Look, depending on what they say, I’ll probably be in tomorrow.”

“Take a couple of days. Make sure whatever they do works. I’d rather you get rest and get over this so you can come back 100 percent.”

Jack was right. I didn’t have to like it, but he was. “I’ll still check my e-mail and stuff,” I said. Right didn’t mean I wanted to. Work had piled up over these two months, and I was so far behind, I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever catch up. “Shit,” I groaned. “Budgets are due. Mason’s going to kill me if I don’t turn them in this week.”

“I’ll tell Mason to take a flying leap off the Sears Tower, dude. He’ll have to wait.”

“Jack! He’s our CFO. You don’t tell the CFO to take a flying
leap and keep your job.”

Jack’s noncommittal sound did not encourage me.

“Look…,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I’ll come by on the way home from the doc’s and pick up the budget paperwork, okay? I’ll do it here, in bits, when I can.”

Jack paused for a long moment, then finally said, “I’ll send them by messenger. Text me when you know when you’re going to the doc’s. I’ll send the budget stuff over after that.”

He could be a real pain in the ass sometimes. Especially when he was right.

“Fine,” I grumbled ungraciously. Whatever this was had taken up enough of my time and energy already.

“Good. Text me when you get the appointment. And get some sleep!”

It took me a few seconds to realize Jack had hung up. I shook my head and set my phone down.

I hadn’t told Jack my fears about cancer. He’d tell me I was overworrying. He’d tell me it wouldn’t be me, partially because he’d want to reassure me, and partially because he wouldn’t want to believe it himself.

So I kept them to myself.

Before I could talk myself out of it again, I picked my phone back up. With a deep breath, I dialed the doctor’s number.

Sandra's review:

The blurb tells you the gist of what you'll find within so I won't bore you with a repeat of that. I will however tell you that there is much more to this story than what you find hinted at in the blurb. I will also tell you that the female wolf mentioned doesn't play as big a role as the blurb might hint, but she is the catalyst for... well, you read this for yourself.

This book was a blast to read. I adored Liam Scott, and I adored Mason Hayes. I loved their bond, their relationship, I loved how well they worked together, I loved how they were both kind and thoughtful and so, so in love with each other, even if Liam doesn't believe it and Mason is afraid to say it.

The mythology used here was also rather interesting - Mpreg obviously, but giving the Omega wolf an actual uterus - and the author did a great job, IMHO, of weaving the various aspects of her specific mythology seamlessly into the narrative and dialogue without making it sound like info dump.

There were moments when I giggled, there were moments that made me go 'awww', and there were moments when I wanted to reach into the book and knock both of these men over the head so they'd finally just bloody talk about what was bothering them.

Also, lots and lots of sexy, steamy times. Because, wolves. And knotting. Knotting! And pheromones, and an Omega wolf in heat, and mating bonds, and family times, and misunderstandings, and realizations, and love, so much love.

I didn't want to stop reading until I had reached the final page. The epilogue, set 8 years after the main part of the book, was super cute too. I enjoyed watching Liam and Mason with their pups, and also appreciated the family tree image at the end. By then, it was really clear how much Liam had grown into himself, how his view of himself had changed, because of Mason's love for him, how he was an equal partner in their relationship despite the discrepancy in incomes, and how supremely happy and fulfilled they were.

This was a nearly perfect Mpreg wolf shifter novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute I spent reading. I couldn't ask for more.

Well done, Grace, well done!

** I received a free copy of this book from its author. A positive review was not promised in return. **

About Grace R. Duncan:

Grace Duncan grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age – many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fanfiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.

A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children – both the human and furry kind.

As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance and other erotica or even dabbling in art.